Apparatus for automatically charging hardening and the like furnaces.



R.RUNTGBN.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.24, 1913.

Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

FEFDE rHE NORRIS PETERS CO.. PHOTO-LITHQ, WASHINGTON. D. c.

R. RUNTGBN.

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY CHARGING HARDENING AND THE LIKE FURNACES.

APPLICATION FILED MAXIM, I913.

' 1, 1 07,449. Y Patented Aug. 18, 191A 3 SHBBTSSHEBT 2.

fHE NORRIS PE7ER$ ca, PHUTDLITHO.. wAsHINcmN. D. (L

R.RONTGEN. APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY CHARGING HARDBNING AND THE LIKEFURNACES. APPLICATION FILED MAR.24. 1913.

1,107,449, Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

3 SHBETSSHEET 3.

M'rya-rrer: M

THE .tORRIS PETERS 00.. pimruurna. WAS-MING ION. D Cv ROBERT nonrsniv,or anmsor'rnrn, GER-MANY.

APPARATUS FOR AUIOIVIATICALLY CHARGING HARDENING AND THE LIKE FURNACES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 24, 1913.

Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

Serial No. 756,449.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, ROBERT RoN'rcnN, asubject of the King of Prussia, residing at Remscheid, in the Kingdom ofPrussia and German Empire, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements Relating to Apparatus for Automatically Charging Hardeningand the like Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for automatically charging hardeningfurnaces, salt-cyanid of potassium, lead baths or muffie furnaces, andparticularly to an apparatus in which the objects to be hardened arecarried in succession by means of a movably mounted suspension device tothe hardening furnace, cooling bath, tempering furnace or the like andare allowed to remain therein for the necessary length of time. I

The object of my invention is to provide an apparatus which renders itpossible to attend to the furnaces, baths or other auxiliary devicesfrom any desired distant place so that the workmen are not afiected bythe heat or the vapors of the hardening bath. Furthermore the newapparatus presents important advantages for manufacturing upon a largescale, owing to the fact that the objects to be hardened are conductedat exactly predetermined times to the heating furnace and to thechilling tank and are thus subjected to a thoroughly uniform heating andcooling.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure l is a side elevation partly in section. Fig. 2 is a plan, andFig. 3 a section along line A-A in Fig. 1. Fig. 4, Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 aredetail views showing the clutch and the actuating mechanism therefor.

The main shaft 1 is driven by a stepped pulley countershaft 2. Upon theshaft 1 the worm 3 is arranged and this worm meshes with the worm wheel5 mounted upon the shaft 4. The cam plate 6 and the finger 7 are securedto the shaft 4. The

shaft 12 is driven from the shaft 1 through sprocket wheels 8, 9, and10, 11. The clutch 13 is arranged upon the shaft 12 and by throwing thisclutch in or out the shaft 12 can be clutched to the pair of bevelpinions 14 and 15 and thereby to thepair of gear wheels 16 and 17, ordisengaged therefrom. The chain wheel 18 is rigidly connected with thegear wheel 17. At an interval from and opposite to the chain wheel 18 asecond chain wheel 19 is provided. Over these wheels 18 and 19 passes anendless chain 20 having drivers 21 consisting of pins or studs fastenedto individual links of said chain,

' two such pins being shown in Fig. 3.

22 is a rail upon which movable suspension devices 24 run on rollers 23and serve for the reception of the objects to be hardened. Thesesuspension devices 24 are pro vided with laterally extending arms 25which project into the path of the said drivers 21 so as to be engagedby them, as they move with the chain, the drivers 21 thus taking thesuspending devices 24 along with them.

The clutch 13 between the shaft 12 and the bevel wheels 14, 15 is thrownin by the levers 26 and 27 and the rod 28 as soon as the latter isstruck by the finger 7 on shaft 4, the rod 28 being shifted thereby soas to rock thebell-crank lever 26, the horizontal arm of which leverlifts the lever 27 which operates the clutch as follows: Owing to theupward movement of the lever 27 a movable spring-presser pin or bolt 35in the clutch member a (Figs. 4, 5 and 6) is released and enters arecess in the other clutch member 6, being therein in the path of pinsor bolts 36 adapted to engage the pin or bolt 35, the clutch thus beingthrown in. As soon as finger 7 on shaft 4, however, has passed over theend of rod 28 the latter is returned to its original position by aspring 37 (Figs. 4, 5 and 6), and the clutch-operating lever 27 islikewise returned to its original position by a weight 38, by whichmovement the pin 35 is withdrawnfrom the clutch member 6, the clutchthus being thrown out again. The cam plate 6 on shaft 4 acts by means ofits elevation upon a rocker 29 fulcrumed at 30 on the central part ofthe frame between chain-wheels 18 and 19. When the rocker 29 oscillatesa portion of the rail 22, (that is to say the portion arranged above thehardening furnace, 31, and cooling bath 32,) is either lowered with thesuspension devices, 24 arranged thereon, as indicated in Fig. 3, orraised. In the latter casethe previously lowered part of the rail 22 istransferred to the plane of the immovable portion of this rail and thesuspension devices with the objects to be hardened that arranged thereonare removed entirely automatically from the hardening furnace, and thecooling bath.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: Upon the rail 22 asuitable number of suspension devices 24: are arranged; these areconnected with the conveyor chain 20 by means of the drivers 21 and 25.Nhen the shaft 1 is driven, the shaft a is rotated, and the shaft 12 isalso driven through the sprocket wheels 8, 9 and 10, 11. So long as theclutch is not thrown in the chain wheels '18, 19 and consequently thechain 20 are stationary. As soon as the protuberances of the cam plate 6encounter the rocker 29, the latter-is caused to oscillate around itspivot and the end carrying the movable por- ,tion of the rail 22 israised so that the running rail 22 is uninterrupted or closed over thefurnace 31 and the tank 32. During the continued rotation of the shaft 4with the cam plate 6 and the finger 7 the end of the lever 29 carryingthe movable portion of the rail 22 with the suspension devices 24:thereon descends, and the objects suspended on these devices are loweredinto the furnace v and there are heated. Upon the further rotation ofthe shaft 1 the cam plate 6 lifts the oscillating lever 29 andsimultaneously the finger 7 acts upon the rod 28. As soon as the rocker29 is raised again and the track 22 closes the finger 7 displaces therod v28, whereby the levers 27 and 26 are raised and the clutch isthrown in. Consequently the bevel pinions 14: and 15 and the spur wheels16 and 17 are driven as the chain wheels 18 and 19 are rotated, and withthem the chain '20 is driven. Ihe levers 26, 27 and the rod 28 return totheir initial position, whereupon after another revolution of the shaft4 the clutch 13 is again automatically thrown out. By the rotation ofthe chain wheels 18 and 19 "and the displacement of the chain 20 thearticle that has just been raised from the furnace 31 is again caused tomove forward, so that it is now suspended over the tank 32. The nextarticle carried by the suspension device has now passed from thestationary portion of the track onto its movable portion, that is actedupon by the rocker 29, and has come over the furnace 31. When thedescent of the rocker takes place together with the movable portion ofthe track, the heated article enters the tank 32 filled with water oroil, while the other article located above the furnace 31 is introducedtherein, so that upon the next operative movement it may come above thetank 32, while simultaneously a fresh ticle comes above the furnace.

What I claim is:

1. An automatic apparatus for carrying articles to be hardenedsuccessively to the heating furnace and the chilling bath, comprising arunning rail or track, devices for carrying the articles and adapted torun on said track, a portion of the track located above the furnace andbath and arranged to be located out of and lifted into alinement withthe stationary part of the track, a means carrying said movable portionof the track, and a means for operating said carrying means in order tolower and lift said movable track portion at and for a given time, tointroduce the articles carried by the carrying means, successively intothe furnace and the bath.

2. An automatic apparatus for carrying articles to be hardenedsuccessively to the heating furnace and the chilling bath, comprising arunning rail or track, devices for carrying the articles, and adapted torun on said track, a portion of the track located being above thefurnace and bath and arranged to be lowered out of and lifted intoalinement with the stationary part of the track, a lever carrying themovable track portion, and a means for turning said lever on its pivot,in order to lower and lift said movable track portion at and for a giventime to introduce the articles carried by the carrying means,successively into the furnace and the bath.-

3. An automatic apparatus for carrying articles to be hardenedsuccessively to the heating furnace and the chilling bath, comprising arunning rail or track, devices for carrying the articles and adapted torun on said track, a portion of the track being'located above thefurnace and bath and arranged to be lowered out of and lifted intoalinement with the stationary part of the track, a lever carrying themovable track portion, a means for operating said lever, and an endlesschain with drivers for the articles, to run on the track.

4. An automatic apparatus for carrying articles to be hardenedsuccessively to the heating furnace and thechillingbath, comportion, ameans for operating saidlever,

an endless chain with drivers for periodically actuating the devicescarrying the articles and a clutch for rendering the drivers operativeand inoperative at given lengths of time by throwing said clutch in andout.

5. An automatic apparatus for carrying articles to be hardenedsuccessively to the periodically actuating the devices carrying heatingfurnace and thechilling bath, comprising a running rail or track,devices for carrying the articles and adapted to run von said track, aportion of the track being located above the furnace and bath andarranged to be lowered out of and lifted into alinement With thestationary part of the track, a lever carrying the movable trackportion, a means for operating said lever, an endless chain With driversfor periodically actuating the devices carrying the articles, a clutchto operate the drivers, a means for operating the said clutch, a cam 10plate to operate the said lever, and a shaft ROBERT RONTGEN.

Witnesses HENRY I-IAsPER, WOLDEMAR HAUPT.

Copies of thil patent may be obtained for he cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner oi intents,

Washington, D. C.

